NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Investors need safe places to put their money on down days like today, Jim Cramer told "Mad Money" viewers Monday, as he kicked off a weeklong series of top investing trends for 2013.

Cramer said these trends will be the rising tides that lift all boats and will be the safe places to invest as Washington will likely dominate the headlines again soon.

He said after years of fighting to survive, the banks have finally raised enough capital and have dealt with their bad loans, making them once again investable. As the cloud begins to lift on the sector, Cramer said those in the strongest position will be the regional banks such as First Horizon (FHN) and BB&T (BBT) .

His favorite regional player remains KeyCorp (KEY) , a stock he owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS.

Cramer's next big theme for 2013 is the return of the auto market, something that bodes well for both Ford Motor (F) and General Motors (GM) .

Cramer said the U.S. market grew throughout 2012, but the main stumbling block for the automakers was Europe. With Europe finally beginning to stabilize and both companies making aggressive cost-cutting efforts, Cramer said the automakers should be poised to prosper from a global economic recovery.

Executive Decision

In the "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Dr. Francois Nader, president and CEO of NPS Pharmaceuticals (NPSP) , an orphan-drug maker that's popped 31% after Cramer first recommended it in September. Since then shares have pulled back and Cramer's taking a second look as the company prepares to present its latest data on Wednesday.

Nader commented on the price tag of his company's most recent drug, which treats a condition known as short bowel syndrome afflicting only 3,000 to 5,000 patients in the U.S. The treatment, which weighs in at just under $300,000 a year, is actually a tremendous value, said Nader, as it currently costs almost $600,000 a year for patients to stay at the hospital and receive what can be 12 hours a day of IV nutritional supplements.

Using the NPS treatment, patients will be able to leave the hospital and return to their jobs and to normal lives, said Nader, which makes the cost of the treatment not only invaluable to patients, but also a great savings for insurance providers.

Nader noted that a full 100% of patients surveyed said they were interested in trying the drug and NPS even has a program in place to help patients with their co-pays if they have them. Nader said that no patient will be denied this treatment for a lack of the ability to pay.

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